IMDb > Fargo (1996)
Fargo
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Fargo (1996) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 56 | slideshow) Videos (see all 9)
Fargo -- Trailer for Fargo Only Be version
Fargo -- Trailer for Fargo Weird version
Fargo -- Trailer for Fargo Twisted Version
Fargo -- Trailer for Fargo Static Version
Fargo -- :30 spots (3); :15 spots (2)

Overview

User Rating:
8.3/10   221,094 votes »
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Down 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Ethan Coen (written by) &
Joel Coen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Fargo on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 April 1996 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
A homespun murder story. See more »
Plot:
Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 57 wins & 32 nominations See more »
User Reviews:
You're darned tootin'! See more (705 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

William H. Macy ... Jerry Lundegaard

Steve Buscemi ... Carl Showalter

Peter Stormare ... Gaear Grimsrud
Kristin Rudrüd ... Jean Lundegaard

Harve Presnell ... Wade Gustafson

Tony Denman ... Scotty Lundegaard

Gary Houston ... Irate Customer
Sally Wingert ... Irate Customer's Wife
Kurt Schweickhardt ... Car Salesman
Larissa Kokernot ... Hooker #1

Melissa Peterman ... Hooker #2

Steve Reevis ... Shep Proudfoot (as Steven Reevis)
Warren Keith ... Reilly Diefenbach (voice)
Steve Edelman ... Morning Show Host
Sharon Anderson ... Morning Show Hostess
Larry Brandenburg ... Stan Grossman
James Gaulke ... State Trooper
J. Todd Anderson ... Victim in the Field
Michelle Suzanne LeDoux ... Victim in Car

Frances McDormand ... Marge Gunderson

John Carroll Lynch ... Norm Gunderson

Bruce Bohne ... Lou
Petra Boden ... Cashier

Steve Park ... Mike Yanagita
Wayne A. Evenson ... Customer (as Wayne Evenson)
Cliff Rakerd ... Officer Olson
Jessica Shepherd ... Hotel Clerk
Peter Schmitz ... Airport Lot Attendant
Steven I. Schafer ... Mechanic (as Steve Schaefer)

Michelle Hutchison ... Escort (as Michelle Hutchinson)
David S. Lomax ... Man in Hallway (as David Lomax)

José Feliciano ... Himself
Bix Skahill ... Night Parking Attendant (as Don William Skahill)
Bain Boehlke ... Mr. Mohra
Rose Stockton ... Valerie (voice)
Robert Ozasky ... Bismarck Cop #1
John Bandemer ... Bismarck Cop #2
Don Wescott ... Bark Beetle Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Bruce Campbell ... Soap Opera Actor on TV (archive footage) (uncredited)
Clifford Nelson ... Heavyset Man In Bar (uncredited)
Lori J. Ness ... Women in the Bar (uncredited)
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Directed by
Joel Coen 
Ethan Coen (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
(WGA)
Ethan Coen (written by) &
Joel Coen (written by)

Produced by
Tim Bevan .... executive producer
John Cameron .... line producer
Ethan Coen .... producer
Eric Fellner .... executive producer
Joel Coen .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Carter Burwell (music by)
 
Cinematography by
Roger Deakins (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Ethan Coen  (as Roderick Jaynes)
Joel Coen  (as Roderick Jaynes)
 
Casting by
John S. Lyons (casting by) (as John Lyons)
 
Production Design by
Rick Heinrichs 
 
Art Direction by
Thomas P. Wilkins 
 
Set Decoration by
Lauri Gaffin 
 
Costume Design by
Mary Zophres 
 
Makeup Department
John Blake .... key makeup artist
Daniel Curet .... key hairstylist
Bart Mixon .... special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Margaret Hayes .... post-production supervisor
Gilly Ruben .... unit production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michelangelo Csaba Bolla .... first assistant director
James Alan Hensz .... second assistant director (as James Allen Hensz)
Donald Murphy .... second second assistant director
Brian O'Kelley .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
J. Todd Anderson .... storyboard artist
Robb T. Anderson .... carpenter (as Robb Anderson)
Maria L. Baker .... art department assistant (as Maria Baker)
Gregory Banks .... carpenter (as Greg Banks)
Curtis Baruth .... construction coordinator (as Curtis W. Baruth)
Brian Bebler .... carpenter
Dwight Benjamin-Creel .... property master
Denise Boquist .... painter
Thomas Christianson .... painter
Joe Connolly .... assistant property master
Jeffrey Daniels .... set dresser
Beth Edelstein .... painter
Beth Edelstein .... sculptor
Kirk Erickson .... carpenter
Joseph F. Ferraro .... set dresser
Andrew Foster .... carpenter
Paul Hankey .... carpenter
Anne Hyvarinen .... lead scenic
Kay Kropp .... painter
Sydney Ann Lunn .... property assistant
Jeff Murphy .... sculptor
Patrick L. Owen .... carpenter (as Patrick Owen)
Gene Palusky .... carpenter
John David Paul .... assistant art director
Stephen J. Readmond .... on set dresser (as Stephen Readmond)
Bradford Richardson .... graphic artist
Tim Schwob .... construction foreman (as Timothy Schwob)
Joseph Skala .... carpenter
Steve Speers .... set dresser
Jill Stevenson .... set dressing buyer
Amy Thornberry .... assistant lead scenic
Susan J. Tveit .... art department coordinator
Gerald S. Upham .... carpenter
Bob Wiesner .... set dresser
Ben Woolverton .... leadman
David K. Pederson .... painter (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Michael Barry .... re-recording mixer
Allan Byer .... sound mixer
Benjamin Cheah .... sound effects recordist (as Ben Cheah)
Marko A. Costanzo .... foley artist (as Marko Costanzo)
Ezra Dweck .... foley mixer
Dan Evans Farkas .... assistant sound editor (as Dan Evans Farcus)
Eugene Gearty .... sound effects editor
Lewis Goldstein .... sound effects editor
Bradford L. Hohle .... dolby consultant
Kenton Jakub .... adr editor
Ken J. Johnson .... sound effects recordist (as Ken Johnson)
Frank Kern .... foley editor
Peter F. Kurland .... boom operator
Skip Lievsay .... re-recording mixer
Skip Lievsay .... supervising sound editor
Kimberly R. McCord-Wilson .... apprentice sound editor (as Kimberly R. McCord)
Todd Milner .... assistant sound editor
Glenfield Payne .... sound effects editor
Bruce Pross .... foley editor
Fred Rosenberg .... dialogue editor (as Frederick Rosenberg)
Steven Visscher .... foley editor
Magdaline Volaitis .... dialogue editor
Knox White .... utility sound technician (as Knox Grantham White)
Keenan Wyatt .... boom operator
 
Special Effects by
Bruce R. Anderson .... special effects technician
Wilfred Caban .... pyrotechnician
Joe Carroll .... special effects technician
Michael Kranz .... special effects technician
Paul Murphy .... special effects coordinator
Dieter Sturm .... snowmaker
Yvonne Sturm .... snowmaker
 
Visual Effects by
John Alagna .... opticals
 
Stunts
Danny Downey .... stunt player
Jery Hewitt .... stunt coordinator
Jery Hewitt .... stunt player
Jennifer Lamb .... stunt player
Eddie L. Watkins .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Bridges .... still photographer (as James Bridges)
Robin Brown .... camera operator
Peter Clemence .... best boy grip
Tony Corapi .... electrician
Ed Dally .... film loader
Milo Durben .... dolly grip
Tom Franchett .... electrician
Adam Gilmore .... second assistant camera
Andy Harris .... first assistant camera
William H. Hobson .... company grip (as William Hobson)
Jeremy Knaster .... best boy electrician
Mitchell Andrew Lillian .... key grip (as Mitch Lillian)
William Moore .... rigging gaffer
Bill O'Leary .... chief lighting technician
Timothy O'Toole .... video playback
Joseph Slagerman .... company grip
Michael Tackett .... still photographer
Niel Williams .... company grip (as Neil Williams)
Robin Brown .... director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Jane Brody .... location casting
Kathleen Chopin .... casting assistant
Sandra Dawes .... extras casting (as Sandra D. Dawes)
Christine Sheaks .... casting associate
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Virginia Burton .... costumer
Sister A. Daniels .... costume supervisor (as Sister Daniels)
 
Editorial Department
Tricia Cooke .... associate editor
Nick Dibeneditto .... negative cutting by: N&D Films and Video
David Diliberto .... first assistant editor (as Big Dave Diliberto)
Daniel J. Geiger .... location assistant editor (as Daniel Geiger)
Alma Kuttruff .... apprentice editor
John Dowdell .... telecine colorist (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Carter Burwell .... music conducted by
Carter Burwell .... music orchestrated by
Emile Charlap .... music contractor
Edmund Choi .... assistant to composer
Michael Farrow .... music scoring mixer
Todd Kasow .... music editor (as Todd Kassow)
Shari Schwartz .... associate music editor
John Moses .... musician: clarinet (uncredited)
Paul Peabody .... musician: violin (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Dave Amberik .... driver
Michael Arnold .... picture car coordinator
Keith Carlson .... driver
Dave Drentlaw .... driver (as David Drentlaw)
Wade P. Ehlen .... driver
David F. Evans .... driver
Scott Michael Johnson .... driver (as Scott Johnson)
Michael Kennedy .... transportation coordinator (as Michael J. Kennedy)
Frank Ketchum .... transportation captain
Eugene Kirsch .... driver (as Gene Kisch)
Peter L. Mullin .... picture car assistant
Ivy Poulliot .... driver
John Rehborg .... driver
Marti Smith .... driver (as Marty E. Smith)
Tommy Ray Smith .... driver
 
Other crew
John Albrecht .... payroll accountant
Clement Baque .... catering: Entertainment Motion Picture Catering
Cheryl Broussard .... assistant production coordinator (as Cheryl M. Broussard)
Mark Demarais .... set production assistant
Daniel J. Dustin .... set medic: Rescue Resources, Inc. (as Dan Dustin)
Joe Everett .... unit publicist
Jane Frazer .... head of production: Working Title
Kurt W. Gensmer .... set medic: Rescue Resources, Inc.
Karen Ruth Getchell .... production coordinator
Robert Graf .... location manager (as Robert J. Graf)
Senor Greazer .... meat dinner mc (as Señor Greazer)
Dave Halls .... set production assistant
Elizabeth Himelstein .... dialect coach
Carlos José Ibarra .... mechanic (as Jose Ibarra)
Dana Kelley .... assistant accountant
Donald J. Koshiol .... location assistant
T. Kukovinski .... script supervisor
Michelle Suzanne LeDoux .... craft service (as Michelle LeDoux)
Rachel Lynn .... assistant location manager (as Rachel L.T. Kapel)
Angela Morrison .... head of business affairs: Working Title
William Preston Robertson .... meat dinner mc (as Bill Robertson)
Albert G. Ruben .... insurance provided by
Dan Runyon .... craft service
Bill Schwab .... location projectionist
Mindy Sheldon .... production accountant
Jessica Shepherd .... set production assistant
Bix Skahill .... office production assistant (as Don 'Bix' Skahill)
Stuart Skrien .... location assistant
Jose Solorzano .... catering: Entertainment Motion Picture Catering
Eric Vignando .... catering: Entertainment Motion Picture Catering
Charlie Vogel .... post-production accountant (as Charles Vogel)
Jeffrey Abramson .... pre-production intern (uncredited)
Randall Balsmeyer .... title designer (uncredited)
Mimi Everett .... title designer (uncredited)
Christopher P. Jacobs .... location projectionist: Grand Forks (uncredited)
Kelly Nathe .... photo double: Jean Lundegaard (uncredited)
William Preston Robertson .... field interviewer/archivist for Minnesota accents (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Mark Cady .... special thanks
David Daugherty .... special thanks
Deana Elwell .... special thanks
Rick Finkelstein .... special thanks
Peter D. Graves .... special thanks (as Peter Graves)
Julie Hartley .... special thanks
James Hautman .... special thanks
Robert Hautman .... special thanks
Michael Kuhn .... special thanks
Aline Perry .... special thanks
Malcolm Ritchie .... special thanks
Russell Schwartz .... special thanks
Stewart Till .... special thanks
Mark Wolfe .... special thanks
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Fargo" - Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay
"Fargo" - Brazil, Portugal (imdb display title)
"Fargo" - Canada (French title), France
"Фарго" - Russia
"Fâgo" - Japan (imdb display title)
"Fargo" - Serbia
"Fargo" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Fargo" - Greece
"Fargo" - Poland
"Fargo" - Slovakia
"Fargo" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Fargo" - Czech Republic
"Fargo" - Japan (English title)
"Fargo" - Slovenia
"Fargo - Blutiger Schnee" - Germany
"Fargo - Uma Comédia de Erros" - Brazil
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality
Runtime:
98 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The film is not actually "Based on a true story". The Coens later admitted that they added that disclaimer so the viewer would be more willing to suspend disbelief in the story. (An urban legend even says that people have gone to search Minnesota for the briefcase of money.) While the specific crimes in the movie didn't happen, the plot has elements of two well-known Minnesota crimes. In 1962, a St. Paul attorney named Eugene Thompson hired someone to kill his wife, Carol. Unbeknownst to Thompson, his man hired someone else to do the job. The second man fatally wounded Mrs. Thomspon in her house, but she managed to escape him. She went to a neighbor's house for help while her assailant fled the scene. The sloppiness and brutality of the crime attracted great attention. The murderers were quickly caught and gave up Thompson, who denied knowing anything about the crime for many years afterward. In 1972, Virginia Piper, the wife of a wealthy Orono banker, was kidnapped. A million-dollar ransom was paid, one of the largest in U.S. history. Mrs. Piper was found tied to a tree in a state park. Two men were convicted of the crime, but were acquitted after a re-trial. One of them later went on a shooting spree after his wife left him, killing her, their 5-year-old son, her son from a previous marriage, her new boyfriend, and one of his sons. Only $4,000 of the money was ever recovered.See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The poster in Scotty Lundegaard's room spells accordion "accordian."See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Jerry Lundegaard:I'm, uh, Jerry Lundegaard.
Carl Showalter:You're Jerry Lundegaard?
Jerry Lundegaard:Ya. Shep Proudfoot said...
Carl Showalter:Shep said you'd be here at 7:30. What gives, man?
Jerry Lundegaard:Shep said 8:30.
Carl Showalter:We've been sitting here an hour. He's
[motioning to Gaer]
Carl Showalter:peed three times already.
Jerry Lundegaard:I'm sure sorry. Shep told me 8:30. It was a mix-up, I guess.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in En la cama (2005)See more »
Soundtrack:
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak TreeSee more »

FAQ

How did Grimsrud kill Jerry's wife?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
What was with the scene where Marge visited with Mike, the Asian man she went to high school with? It seemed irrelevant.
See more »
147 out of 182 people found the following review useful.
You're darned tootin'!, 2 April 2001
Author: Andrew Harmon (aharmon@erols.com) from Washington, DC

"What'd this guy look like anyway?"

"Oh, he was a little guy, kinda funny lookin'."

"Uh-huh. In what way?"

"Just a general way."

In that interplay between a Brainerd, MN., police officer and a witness discussing a criminal investigation, you have one of your principal pieces of dialogue from what is considered by many to be Joel and Ethan Coen's finest film.

Of course you can draw comparisons to others they've made, such as Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, even Barton Fink and The Big Lebowski. But Fargo illustrates the Coen Brothers' takes on plot, art and drama more succinctly and emotionally than any of those others. Here you have a set of memorable, if not always likeable, characters in a plot that goes from clunky to chaotic in the most unspoiled manner, from Jerry Lundegaard's stilted conversation with Gaear and Carl in a bar in Fargo at the beginning of the movie - the only occasion in which the movie specifically shows you Fargo, N.D. - to Marge Gunderson's confrontation with Gaear and the wood-chipper.

Frances McDormand deservedly won an Oscar for playing a well-balanced, intelligent, pregnant police officer placing her own straightforward methodology on to an investigation of bizarre goings-on. And William H. Macy gives a true one-two punch playing a frenetically-charged, fearful and, in the end, inept used car salesman trying in the most remarkable manner to make money. The two best scenes in the movie are the two occasions in which Marge questions Jerry about the Brainerd murders and a car from his lot being involved -- I couldn't imagine an actress doing a better job of seriously but comically exclaiming, "He's fleeing the interview!"

Notable among the actors as well are Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare playing Carl and Gaear, the two hit men hired by Jerry to help him con his father-in-law out of money. There's comic brilliance watching Stormare silently grimace at Buscemi's violent but gregarious behavior, and Buscemi shines being able to play the most out-of-control of all the characters in the movie. Kristin Rudrüd also stands out playing Jean Lundegaard, Jerry's haplessly kidnapped wife.

If you can appreciate an intelligent look at not-always-so-intelligent life on this planet, you'll enjoy the little more than the hour and a half this movie has to show you.

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